


Sore

by Rosetylars



Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29287668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: After a big gym session, Mitch is exhausted. Josh can fix it.
Relationships: Mitchell Starc/Josh Hazlewood
Comments: 12
Kudos: 15





	Sore

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired to write this pair by the lovely anon who has been posting heartbreaking fics about them!

The fast bowlers had been put through a tough gym session that afternoon. Following a gruelling Test summer, the strength and conditioning staff were focused on the bowlers keeping their muscle mass up as much as possible - and these big sessions were part of that training plan.

Mitch’s muscles were exhausted and aching by the time he and Josh arrived home.

He dropped his bag to the ground, barely making it down the hallway, into the living room and onto the couch as Josh locked the door behind them.

“Tired, Mitchy?” Josh asked, kicking his shoes off by the door and heading through the house to join Mitch in the living room.

Mitch gave him a look. “Nah, not at all,” he deadpanned.

Josh chuckled, heading to the kitchen to sort out a protein shake for both of them.

Mitch was grateful for the action, and once they were both finished their drinks, he shifted to lay down lengthways on the couch.

Josh settled against Mitch’s body. “It was a tough session. I dunno how Patty makes it all look so easy.”

“He looked like he was shooting for Men’s Health or something,” Mitch agreed.

Josh chuckled, manoeuvring himself onto his front so that his head was resting against Mitch’s chest as they laid on the couch, his arms around Mitch’s waist.

Mitch closed his eyes, glad to finally be resting.

“I’m surprised he made it through a whole session without mentioning his husband,” Josh mused.

Mitch huffed a laugh. “You kidding? He literally talked about him as soon as we got there,” he pointed out.

Josh leant up on his elbows so he could meet Mitch’s dark eyes. “When?”

“Like, at the very start, before we started our warm up,” Mitch replied.

Josh frowned, still not remembering.

“While I was changing my shirt,” Mitch added, trying to jog Josh’s memory.

It worked. “Oh,” Josh breathed. “I didn’t even realise Patty was talking, to be honest,” he chuckled. “It’s your fault.”

Mitch smiled softly despite the aching of his body. “Mm, all my fault,” he agreed teasingly.

Josh grinned, resting his head against Mitch’s chest again.

Mitch brought his hand up to Josh’s head, scratching his scalp gently, running his fingers through the short strands on top.

They were so comfortable that soon, they both ended up falling asleep.

Josh woke up when the last sunlight coming through their blinds was coloured orange and pink - which probably explained why he felt so hungry.

Mitch was still asleep, underneath him, so he carefully extricated himself from his grip, grateful Mitch was a heavy sleeper when he was eventually out. Mitch shifted a little in his sleep, his arms now gripping nothing, so Josh replaced his body with a throw cushion.

He needed to sort out some dinner, but he couldn’t help looking back at Mitch before he headed into the kitchen, smiling softly at the figure asleep on the couch, arms curled around the cushion.

After their big session, Josh’s legs felt like lead, and he figured a high protein meal was their best bet. He got started on a curry with chicken, pasta and vegetables, and as he prepared the ingredients, his mind wandered. He loved cooking - it was satisfying to put love and effort into a healthy meal - but the real reason he enjoyed it so much was probably because of the company he usually had as he prepared it… who also always helped him eat it, too.

He was just about to chastise himself for missing Mitch when he was _only one room away_ when he heard some socked footfalls approaching him.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Josh chuckled, grinning at his newfound company.

Mitch smiled softly, coming over to join Josh in the kitchen, giving him a chaste peck.

“How long were we asleep for?” Mitch asked, rubbing his eyes.

Josh shrugged. “Long enough to miss dinner. You starving?”

“Yeah,” Mitch grimaced. “Feel exhausted. No energy left.”

“You’ll feel better after we eat,” Josh said warmly, gesturing towards a barstool with his head - but Mitch wouldn’t sit down.

Instead, Mitch came to stand behind Josh as Josh stirred the pot on the stovetop, hooking his head over Josh’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Josh’s waist.

Josh’s heart warmed, and he reached behind him to run a hand through Mitch’s dark hair, which had grown longer in the last couple of weeks.

It took a bit longer to finish dinner with Mitch curled around him, but Josh didn’t care. When he was ready to separate the curry into two bowls, he turned his head to give Mitch a quick peck on the cheek.

They ate with their legs tangled under their dining table, as always, and Mitch raved about the meal, claiming (as he did at least twice a week) that Josh should enter one of the reality cooking shows.

“I’ve never seen them,” Josh reminded, as always.

“But you’ve _heard_ of them,” Mitch retorted, as always.

Josh chuckled, shaking his head fondly. “If you like my cooking, that’s all that matters to me.”

Mitch put a hand to his chest, touched. “That’s kind of romantic, Joshy.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Josh teased.

Mitch poked his tongue out, but he wasn’t able to hide the fond blush that coloured his cheeks.

*

After dinner, they returned to the lounge room. Mitch was still exhausted, but they couldn’t head to bed without washing all of the day’s sweat off.

“Too tired for a shower,” Mitch protested, when Josh brought it up.

“What’s your solution?” Josh raised his eyebrows.

Mitch shrugged, yawning. “Shower in the morning?”

Josh screwed up his face. “We’re both sweaty and yuck. No way.”

“You’re so mean to me, Joshy,” Mitch protested.

“Yep, I’m mean because we were sweating in the gym and I won’t let you get into our bed without washing off,” Josh deadpanned.

Mitch frowned. “Who made you the boss of _our_ bed?”

Josh sighed. “I’ll start a bath running,” he suggested.

Mitch flopped down onto the couch again, which made Josh chuckle.

“Can I meet you up there?” Mitch asked.

Josh was about to say yes, but an idea popped into his mind, and he couldn’t hide a smile.

“Sure, if you don’t want a massage,” Josh replied, heading upstairs to the bathroom without looking back at Mitch, biting his lip to hold back a massive grin.

Mitch caved after two seconds, following Josh upstairs.

*

After a very drawn out massage and a short bath, they were finally ready to settle into bed.

“We’re gonna be sore tomorrow,” Josh mused, pulling the sheets up around them.

Mitch, having seemingly regained some energy after their _massage session_ , turned to Josh with a cheeky grin.

“What kind of sore, Joshy?” Mitch teased.

Josh rolled his eyes fondly, heart warm at the sight of Mitch’s pretty smile.

“Muscle sore,” Josh played along. “Y’know, what you’ve been whinging about all evening?”

“I do not _whinge_ , Joshua,” Mitch poked his tongue out.

“Yeah, yeah,” Josh chuckled, shifting to lay with his head against Mitch’s chest. “Whatever you say.”

*

In the morning, Mitch's muscles were sore, but not as excruciatingly as he expected - and he knew that was mostly thanks to Josh's insistence on protein, massages and the hot bath.

When Josh _also_ suggested they head down to the beach, early in the morning, for recovery... Mitch couldn't say no.

He'd never pass up an opportunity to splash Josh with the cold ocean water, anyway.

~~Or the excuse to cuddle afterwards, to warm up again.~~


End file.
